Local officials thank service members, vets

Since the founding of the United States of America, millions of men and women have answered the call to arms to defend democracy both at home and abroad. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, as they have fought for freedom, liberty and peace. We also recognize the sacrifices made by the families of those who have served in our nation’s military. They have experienced loss, pain and sadness in the absence of their loved ones. Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to all those who have served, and continue to serve, in our armed forces so that we can live free. As a reminder of the price we pay for our freedoms, we have an obligation to honor the valor of each and every veteran. We thank all veterans for their service to our country. Your sacrifice, selflessness and commitment to our country will never be forgotten. Thank you for all that you have done, and all that you continue to do for our state, nation and world.

JOHN KASICH, Governor

Working toward justice

There are nearly 900,000 Ohio veterans who selflessly served to protect our freedoms and procure peace. That is why I’m honored to serve on the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, where I’m the first Ohioan to serve a full term. This committee is about helping to ensure veterans receive the benefits and services they’ve earned.

This past month, my colleagues and I passed bipartisan legislation that would allow veterans who face long delays to obtain care outside of the VA; and authorize funds to help the VA immediately hire new doctors and nurses.

Further, several key pieces of legislation I originally sponsored recently passed the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. The total package would help expedite VA claims to reduce the backlog and double the enrollment window for healthcare benefits for active duty, reserve, and guard service members following deployment. As Co-Chair of the Senate Air Force Caucus, I’m also committed to preserving important work at Ohio’s military installations, including the 180th Fighter Wing in Toledo.

The Fourth of July is about celebrating our independence and the liberties American service members defend. We should remember to thank our service members, veterans, and their families for their sacrifice.

SHERROD BROWN, U.S. Senator

A little inspiration

When 9-year-old Myles Eckert thanked Lt. Col. Frank Dailey for his service in a Maumee, Ohio Cracker Barrel earlier this year, he taught us all a lesson about what we owe to those who defend our freedoms. It’s a lesson that Myles, despite his age, knows all too well. His father, Army Sgt. Andy Eckert, was killed in Iraq only five weeks after his son was born. So when Myles saw an opportunity to thank a soldier, he took it.

The men and women who have fought for us are not strangers. They are our friends and our children, our brothers and our sisters, our fathers and our mothers. Now they are joining the ranks of our veterans, almost a million in Ohio alone. They deserve our support and our gratitude.

Myles gave a twenty dollar bill to a soldier who reminded him of his dad, but he couldn’t have imagined what would follow. Inspired by his story, Americans donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to a charity that helps gold star kids like Myles.

So thank a veteran. You never know when the smallest of actions can have the biggest consequences.

Honor Flight of Northwest Ohio will make its final journey to our nation’s capital this summer. The organization has flown nearly 2,000 World War II veterans to visit their memorial, a tangible evidence that their service to our nation will not be forgotten. I recently had the privilege of joining hundreds of flag-waving family, friends and volunteers gathered at Toledo Express Airport to greet a returning flight. As a band played patriotic music, veterans entered, some walking, some in wheelchairs. Everything about the event felt right, and it left a profound impression on me. Those among us who step out from civilian life to serve our nation deserve support and honor. We must provide the men and women of our armed forces and their families with services to meet their needs both while on duty and when they return to civilian life. And, as Honor Flight so aptly illustrates, we must always remember, with gratitude, the debt we owe to those who answer our nation’s call to service.

SANDY SPANG, Toledo City Councilwoman

Always thankful

We should always remain thankful for the women and men who entered the armed forces in defense of our country and liberty. We owe a special debt of gratitude to those who made an ultimate sacrifice on behalf of the United States.

JACK FORD, Toledo City Councilman

A heartfelt thank you

The Board of Lucas County Commissioners and its employees extend a heartfelt thank you to the men and women who have served or are currently serving in the military on behalf of the United States of America. We also recognize the sacrifice that military families make on a daily basis to support their loved ones. The collective sacrifice and dedication of our local service men and women are in our thoughts. On behalf of the citizens of Lucas County, we extend our deepest appreciation for all that you do for our community and country.

Fallen firefighters honored at Last Alarm ceremony

Thousands of supporters packed the SeaGate Convention Centre on Jan. 30 to bid farewell to two Toledo firefighters killed in the line of duty last weekend.

First responders from across the United States and Canada filed past caskets containing the bodies of Pvt. James Dickman and Pvt. Stephen Machcinski before the ceremony, pausing to salute the fallen firefighters.

Outside, dozens of supporters stood at the entrance to the building with signs thanking first responders, while a line to enter the building stretched nearly to the end of the block. Fire trucks from across the region lined Monroe Street during the service.

Public officials, union representatives and coworkers of Dickman and Machcinski spoke of the firefighters’ bravery, and recalled fond memories.

Jim Swartz, who was in the same fire class as Machcinski, and spoke on the family’s behalf, said that over Christmas, Machcinski had talked to his family about a new firefighter at his station — Dickman — that he was impressed with.

“His sister Beth told me that Steve was talking highly of a new officer, and that’s not something he did very often,” Swartz said.

Dickman had just joined the Toledo Fire Department (TFD) last year after 10 years with the Perkins Township Fire Department, while Machcinski was a 15-year veteran of TFD.

Toledo Fire Chief Luis Santiago praised not only the fallen officers but their families for their strength during the past several days.

“They seemed concerned about me, they were worried about the department, when faced with a tragedy of their own,” Santiago said of the Dickman and Machcinski families.

Firefighters from across the U.S. and Canada saluted as the caskets of fallen Toledo firefighters Stephen Machcinski and James Dickman were wheeled out of SeaGate Centre at the end of tonight’s Last Alarm ceremony. Toledo Free Press Photo by Bailey G. Dick

“These are two very solid families, and that’s why Stephen and Jamie were such good fits for our department,” he said.

Santiago also praised the resilience of the members of the Toledo Fire Department in the aftermath of the tragedy.

“When we went through our darkest time, you have shined the brightest,” Santiago said. “Toledo has one of the finest fire departments in the country.”

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur presented the families of Dickman and Machinski with flags that had been flown over the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Both spent time speaking to and exchanging hugs with family members.

“It is all of you who run toward danger,” Brown said. “And it is all of us who are in your debt.”

Brown spoke of Dickman’s dream to become a firefighter, saying that the only thing he loved more than being a firefighter was his wife, also named Jamie, and his children, 3-year-old Paige and 1-month-old Grant.

Brown also told those gathered about Machcinski’s kitchen prowess, his teasing of fellow firefighters and how much he loved his niece and nephew as well as his brother Richard, who is a firefighter in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Coworkers of both firefighters spoke on behalf of their families, sharing memories of their friends and eliciting some smiles during the otherwise somber two-hour service.

“Fourteen years ago, they thought it would be a good idea to put two rookies together,” said TFD firefighter Jim Swartz as he recalled his and Machcinski’s first alarm together during an East Side fire. “Steve looked over at me with that huge Machcinski grin, and said, ‘I can’t believe we’re getting paid for this.’”

Swartz suggested that everyone remember Machcinski with a drink on St. Patrick’s Day — his favorite holiday and his birthday.

Battalion Chief of Training Sally Glombowski spoke on behalf of the Dickman family.

“His personality was irresistible,” Glombowski said. “He was never afraid to try something new or different, he never made excuses and he was always excited to learn things the ‘Toledo Way.’”

Glombowski called Dickman a “topper,” explaining that he always had a story for every situation, and that “each one seemed bigger and better.”

She described Dickman as being “stubborn” and “both simple and profound.”

“He was confident that he was in the exact place God intended for him,” Glombowski said.

Toledo mayor D. Michael Collins, himself a former police officer, choked back tears as he described the brotherhood of first responders.

“Public safety is not only a career, but a vocation. … They deserve, and rightly so, the title of heroes,” Collins said.

Collins called the tragedy “one of the most difficult experiences of my life.”

Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Firefighters, presented the Dickman and Machcinski families with medals of honor.

“This job can humble you, and it can break your heart,” Schaitberger said. “It’s hard for anyone else to grasp the culture and incredible bond we have. You eat together, you live together, you work together.”

Members of the St. Francis de Sales High School men’s chorus The Singing Blue sang “On Eagle’s Wings” and “You Raise Me Up” during the service, and dozens of bagpipers and drummers opened the evening.

Battalion Chief John Kaminski noted that members of neighboring fire departments volunteered to staff TFD stations so that officers could attend the service.

A fire started at a home on Collingwood Boulevard during the service, and those volunteers responded to the blaze.

The memorial was steeped in tradition, with a “Last Alarm” closing out the evening.

A bell was rung three times for each firefighter, and both of their badge numbers were retired.

A fire dispatcher announced the “final call” for both Dickman and Machcinski, which was heard on TFD radios as well as in the auditorium.

“We’ll take it from here, brothers,” said retired Battalion Chief Renzo Maraldo before the coffins were escorted out of the auditorium and firefighters stood in salute.

Pounds: Predatory pricing

One of the sad bastardizations of capitalism is predatory pricing. Yes, competitive pricing is a clear benefit to consumers, but when taken to an abusive extreme, the practice is a cudgel used to thwart the open market and harm smaller businesses.

I was heartened to see that Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) have asked President Barack Obama to protect employment at Appleton Papers, Inc. in West Carrollton, Ohio. According to a news release, “Brown and Portman led a bipartisan group of eight senators and representatives in calling on the U.S. Department of Commerce to impose duties on a foreign paper producer. A preliminary investigation shows that the company manipulated data to avoid paying antidumping duties, hurting domestic manufacturing at companies like Appleton, Inc.”

According to the Commerce Department, German exporter Papierfabrik August Koehler AG and Koehler America Inc. — known as Koehler — “sold its merchandise at a less than normal value and had deliberately manipulated data to avoid paying antidumping duties for imports on lightweight thermal paper.”

“We cannot allow foreign companies to get away with predatory pricing that undermines our economic growth and shutters our factories,” Brown said. “Dumping allows foreign paper companies to undersell U.S. companies, including Appleton Papers. As a result, manufacturing workers have lost jobs and communities have been forced to deal with plant closures. I commend the Commerce Department on the work they’ve done so far to curb unfair trading practices and urge them to continue protecting American jobs by imposing duties on Koehler paper sold in the United States.”

“American workers, like those in West Carrollton, can compete and win on a level playing field. However, when foreign competitors don’t play by the rules, we must stand up to ensure fair competition and enforcement of the laws on the books,” Portman said. “In 2011, I worked with my colleagues to protect Appleton’s workers from unfair imports and was successful in getting the administration to reverse their position. Ohio manufacturers like Appleton need our continued support and I urge the Commerce Department to strongly support their case.”

Those businesses that engage in predatory pricing should be held fully accountable and punished to the fullest extent of applicable laws. There are many examples in our media industry of those who have rigged their pricing to unfairly hurt competitors, and who have paid dearly for it when their actions were exposed.

Thanks to our Ohio senators for making this an issue and for fighting for businesses that are being battered by an unAmerican practice.

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

Newsmakers: Incumbents largely kept seats in 2012

In addition to the presidential election, 2012 saw several dramatic races both in Ohio and in Toledo, with many incumbents keeping their seats.

In Lucas County, there were seven levies on the ballot. Voters passed all but two: Toledo Public Schools’ (TPS) 4.9-mill levy with about 52 percent of votes against it and the City of Toledo Recreation 1-mill levy with about 54 percent against.

After results were in, Lisa Sobecki, president of the TPS Board of Education said, “Of course, I’m disappointed. … On the other side, I saw how close the numbers were. I can see we are making some ground,”

She also said the district will likely need to pursue another levy in the future and that she would work to “make Columbus aware of our needs” when it comes time for state budget plans.

The Imagination Station’s 0.17-mill tax levy ended up passing once an official recount went through. The Toledo-Lucas County Public Library’s 2.9-mill levy, the Metroparks’ 0.9-mill levy, the Lucas County Mental Health & Recovery Services’ 1-mill levy and the Lucas County Children Services’ 1.85-mill levy also all passed.

Before the election, the levy glut prompted Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken to propose the potential idea of an umbrella levy or combining the “back of the house operations,” like the human resources and administration of different agencies.

“It’s time for the commissioners to have this conversation about if there isn’t a better way to do it,” he said. “This ballot is very levy-heavy and for the first time, there will be real winners and losers when there shouldn’t be.”

U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur also had a busy year. In March, Kaptur, who has 30 years of experience in Congress, defeated U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich in the primaries for the recently redrawn District 9. Kaptur’s district now includes parts of Cleveland.

“I have great loyalty to my home community, but I also know I have a responsibility to the new parts of the district,” she previously said. “It’s exciting to go into a new community and meet new people and learn what their concerns are.”

In November, Kaptur faced Republican Samuel Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, and Libertarian Sean Stipe. She earned about 73 percent of votes in that race.

“It’s gonna be a rough next couple years and the way I see it is we have ourselves to blame because we settled for the status quo,” Wurzelbacher said of the 2012 results.

Also in 2012, incumbent Sherrod Brown defeated Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel in the race for U.S. Senate. Brown earned about 50 percent of the vote compared to Republican Mandel’s 45 percent. Independent Scott Rupert had about 5 percent of the votes.

Brown, who has been a senator since 2007, cited the auto rescue as a triumph during his previous term.

“All the Toledo-area manufacturers were in trouble and people thought their whole way of life was going to collapse,” he said. “We went to bat for them.”

One local race took center stage in Lucas County: the contest to become Lucas County recorder.

Two at-large councilmen, George Sarantou and Phil Copeland, vied for the position. Copeland won with 56 percent of votes. That race featured dramatic moments, including Sarantou criticizing Copeland for missing about 20 council committee meetings in 2012.

The race saw further conflict when an anonymous postcard, claiming that Copeland lied about receiving his GED, came out in October. Copeland said he attended Scott High School in the ’60s and received his GED in 1976. Sarantou organized a news conference and said he was not responsible for the postcard.

Copeland said he would like to learn about his new office before making plans.

“I can become a part of the group that’s there. I’m not going down there to tear it apart. I haven’t heard one bad thing about that office.”

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It’s not that these are bad people; they are just easy options, chosen for comfort and familiarity as much (if not more) as for competence and results.

In the Lucas County Recorder race, voters chose Phil Copeland over George Sarantou. It is gracious and proper to congratulate Copeland, even as one shakes one’s head in disappointment. Under Jeanine Perry, the recorder’s office has stayed out of the news, a testament to its efficiency and competence. Let us hope its employees can compensate for Copeland’s lack of a plan for the office (“I want to go and be a part of it and I may have some ideas when I get in there,” Copeland said, a fair approach when talking about decorating a kitchen but a suspect plan for dealing with an important county office).

Even scarier is that Jack Ford is reportedly maneuvering behind the scenes to garner an appointment to Copeland’s soon-to-be vacated seat. There is buzz that Carty Finkbeiner and current City Council President Joe McNamara are working to help Ford make that happen. Finkbeiner’s days in government are over, but if McNamara is embroiled in moving Council backward with Ford, serious doubts should be cast on McNamara’s judgment if he is truly considering a campaign for Toledo mayor.

Sarantou’s loss was part of another stellar showing for the Lucas County Republican Party, a pitiful group establishing a legacy of epic failures and incompetency. The Lucas County GOP loses so often, it makes the Pittsburgh Pirates’ current 20-season losing streak look like a rousing success.

Making a ‘metafur’

My first-grader’s school was closed on Election Day to serve as a polling place, so he was going to work with me for the day. We left our house at 6 a.m. to make sure I could vote. Six-year-old Evan, who has been absorbing political commercials and propaganda, was anxious for President Obama to retain his job. Evan’s mom and I disagreed on this point; she is an unshakeable liberal who eschews Republican candidates like she shoos away summer flies and I am a conservative-leaning moderate who tries to vote case by case. I voted for Obama in 2008 but have seen enough of his idea of “hope and change” to switch allegiances to the GOP candidate. As we drove to the polling place, Evan asked me repeatedly if I was still voting against Obama and I repeatedly said yes. My jaw, despite regular doses of prescription Motrin, still ached from an earlier double root canal surgery, so I preferred not to talk. But I wanted to encourage Evan’s interest in the voting process so I tried to explain to him why I was voting against his guy.

“This vote is more about you and your little brother Sean than it is about me and your mom,” I told him. “The country needs to make some major changes about money and planning so you and Sean can grow up to be what you want and be comfortable enough to have families if you want to. I believe Mr. Romney is more likely to try to make changes that will benefit you than Mr. Obama is.”

“You don’t know that for sure, do you Dad?” he asked.

“No, I don’t,” I said. “But voting is sometimes about choosing a person based on potential and hope.”

Evan was silent for a beat.

“Daddy, I thought President Obama owned hope.”

I laughed to myself and told him, “No one really owns hope. I voted for Mr. Obama last time but you were only 2 and Sean was just a few months old. Today, I don’t have the same faith in him.”

Evan and I arrived at the precinct voting station a little early and stood in line with about 50 people. The line moved fairly quickly and Evan stood by patiently as I filled the ballot circles and turned in my ballot. We both received “I Voted” stickers, which we placed on our jackets, and walked to the car.

Evan was quiet for a while, then asked, “Daddy, did you vote for President Obama?”

“No, I voted for Mr. Romney. Remember, I think that’s the best choice for you and your future.”

“It’s OK,” Evan said. “I won’t tell Mommy.”

“I think she’ll know, son,” I said.

“But wouldn’t it be easier to keep President Obama?” Evan asked.

“Easier isn’t always better,” I said. “In fact, easier is usually not better. McDonald’s may be more fun, but it’s not as good for you as making a smart dinner at home.”

Evan sat quietly for a few miles.

“Can we go to McDonald’s today?”

“Not today,” I said. “There will be too many voters there.”

“Why would voters be at McDonald’s?” he asked.

“Never mind,” I said.

“You’re making up a ‘metafur,’ aren’t you?” he replied.

I smiled. “Yes, but don’t tell your mom.”

“I think she’ll know, Dad.”

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.

Election 2012: Brown faces Mandel and Rupert in Senate race

To keep his seat, Sen. Sherrod Brown must defeat Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican, and Scott Rupert, an independent.

Brown, a Mansfield native, has been a senator since 2006 and represented the 13th District in the U.S. House from 1993-2007. He also served as a state representative from 1974-82 and as Ohio Secretary of State from 1983–91.

Rupert, a Sheffield Lake native, is a truck driver. He left trucking to study electronic engineering but he returned to the industry to drive his father’s truck after his father got sick with pancreatic cancer. His father died and although Rupert paid off the medical bills, his student loan bills came due so he continues to drive.

Mandel is an Iraq veteran and served as a state representative from 2007-10 before becoming treasurer in 2011. Mandel did not return repeated requests for comment.

Sherrod Brown

Brown counts the auto industry rescue as a success during his term.

“All the Toledo-area manufacturers were in trouble and people thought their whole way of life was going to collapse,” he said. “We went to bat for them.”

Brown said his bipartisan jobs bill is another success.

The bill, the largest passed in the Senate last year, could create 2 million manufacturing jobs and level the playing field with China by combating subsidized imports, Brown said.

Brown is a proponent of green energy and said he’s worked with solar companies in Toledo. The senator also introduced the Program for Offshore Wind Energy Research and Development Act of 2010, which requires the Department of Energy to come up with a plan for the deployment of offshore wind and increases incentives for offshore development.

Brown said he suspects that about $20 million donated from anonymous groups to Mandel’s campaign come from oil companies.

“We figure a lot of that’s oil money because the oil companies don’t like that I want to take away their tax breaks,” he said.

“If he’d win and get his way, you’d see more tax cuts for the rich and the middle class would shrink even more,” Brown said. “Like Romney, he wants to increase defense spending and cut taxes for the rich.”

Scott Rupert

Rupert said of his own campaign, “It’s good; everyone is very receptive to my message. The problem is I’m talking to very small audiences.”

The independent tried to run for elected office in 2010, but didn’t get enough signatures.

Of his opponents, Rupert said, “I’m not paying much attention to what either one of them is saying. I’m busy with my own campaign.”

“What I see in common is the same thing we always see, ‘Vote for me because I’m not the other guy.’ They define the other guy’s message instead of defining their own.”

“The most important thing is restoring the sovereignty of states,” he said of his own message. “If our states are not free of the abuse of our federal government, then the people aren’t free.”

Rupert also said Democrats and Republicans need to work together to resolve the national debt problem.

“We’re $16 trillion in debt and we’ll be $17 trillion in debt before Congress addresses it again,” he said, adding that the solutions are “too big for either box” of Republicans or Democrats.

The United States also needs to be more energy independent and can achieve that by drilling domestically, Rupert said. Still, he said he thinks it’s OK to get some oil from other countries, especially those with similar interests.

Like many candidates on the ballot this year, Rupert advocated for a consumption-based tax instead of an income tax.

“It’s not fair to any anyone, rich or poor, to incur a debt to the government simply by the act of working and the income tax does that,” he said.

Pounds: Endorsements

For state representative in District 47, we endorse incumbent Barbara Sears over Jeff Bunck. Sears has been dedicated to fiscal responsibility, supports business-friendly legislation and provides information to constituents on a regular basis. Sears is a conservative, but she is moderate and she deserves another term in office. Her endorsements include the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio National Federation of Independent Business.

For state representative in District 46, Republican Dave Kissinger’s emphasis on economic development catches our attention, but he has not made a strong enough case to unseat incumbent Matt Szollosi. Szollosi has reportedly started a quiet drive to run for mayor of Toledo in 2013, a factor voters might want to keep in mind as they choose who will serve the district.

Michael Ashford is running unopposed for state representative in District 44; more disappointingly, Teresa Fedor is running unopposed for state representative in District 45. This is one of the reasons people become apathetic about elections, when there are no opponents or opponents who stand no chance of winning. It is, however, one of the reasons why we have to vote. The respective political machines want us to stay home so that their choices face no real challenge.

Like many people, we believe the region would benefit from a representative reboot in the newly configured Congressional District 9, but the lack of fervor in Samuel Wurzelbacher’s campaign against Rep. Marcy Kaptur disappointed us and did not convince us that he will be the one to replace the long-serving Kaptur.

In District 5, we endorse incumbent Republican Bob Latta, but offer respect to the strong campaign run by Democrat Angela Zimmann.

The divisive race for U.S. Senator between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Josh Mandel has not put either man in a good light. Brown is nothing resembling a centrist, and Mandel’s inaccessibility and his defense of what one of his ads describes as “normal” marriage do not speak well for him. We endorse the third choice, nonparty candidate Scott Rupert, who may not have a high profile but who offers intelligent and clear ideas. What a wonderful comment it would be for voters to eschew the nastiness of Brown and Mandel and give Rupert a chance.

We expect Lucas County Treasurer Wade Kapszukiewicz to prevail over Republican Norm Witzler, but an expectation is not an endorsement.

Another place needing change is the Lucas County Commissioners Office. While we do not see a change coming this year, it certainly does not hurt incumbents Pete Gerken (facing John Marshall) and Tina Skeldon Wozniak (facing Brent McCormack and Kevin Haddad) to have opposition and be reminded that political offices are not meant to be permanent positions.

We also remind voters that in the Lucas County Recorder race, George Sarantou is the clear choice over Phil Copeland. Sarantou has the experience, vision and understanding to continue the solid work of Jeanine Perry.

See you at the polls.

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

Sen. Brown targets prescription drug abuse with new bill

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) spoke at a local pharmacy on Aug. 26, highlighting proposed legislation that aims to curtail prescription drug abuse and strengthen penalties for pharmaceutical theft in Ohio.

During a press conference at Kahler Pharmacy in South Toledo, Brown outlined the Strengthening and Focusing Enforcement to Deter Organized Stealing and Enhance Safety (SAFE DOSES) Act, a bipartisan bill committed to eliminating prescription drug crime on Ohio streets.

“Drug addicts have shown that they will stop at nothing to feed their addiction,” Brown said in a news release. “We must equip local and federal law enforcement with the right tools to crack down on pharmaceutical theft, including tougher jail sentences for these criminals. Not only will this help keep prescription painkillers off our streets and out of the hands of abusers, but it will help protect pharmacies and their employees from being targeted in these often-violent crimes.”

Prohibit stealing, fraudulently obtaining, or trafficking a medical product such as prescription drugs.

Increase criminal penalties when death occurs as a result of a stolen substance.

Enhance civil penalties for profits made off of stolen products.

Increase penalties for “fences,” when someone knowingly purchases stolen property and later resells it in the legitimate market.

Put pharmaceutical theft under the Racketeering Influenced and Correct Organization law, which has been effective in breaking up organized crime.

Although most prescription pain medications are used by patients who actually need them, Brown said there is a rise in criminals who abuse the Medicaid system by trying to acquire multiple prescriptions from doctors and having them filled at multiple pharmacies, a crime he said undermines taxpayers.

“The drugs that people are likely to steal are legal drugs that are helpful to many in our country,” Brown said. “Those people that have had traumatic injuries, car accidents or surgeries need Oxycontin or Percocet or Vicodin. They’re legal; they should be legal, but we’ve got to try to deal with those problems of addiction and try to deal with those problems of robbery beyond that.”

In an effort to eliminate pill mills (doctors, pharmacies or clinics that prescribe painkillers for nonmedical reasons), “doctor shopping” and “pharmacy shopping,” Brown introduced the Stop Trafficking of Pills (STOP) Act in 2011, a bill that would require a national adoption of a Medicaid “Lock-In” program.

“It says to Medicaid beneficiaries, ‘You can only have one doctor and one pharmacist. You can’t doctor shop, you can’t pharmacy shop so you can get this pain medication at multiple places,’ ” Brown said.

Joining Brown at the press conference was Kahler Pharmacy owner, Dr. Nicholas Tabb. Since taking over the 31-year-old drugstore in March, the longtime employee said the rise in narcotic-related crime has made the safety and security of both his family and his new business a top priority.

“I’m the father of a very young family and I think any effort to keep drugs off the street, no matter which drug it is, is a good start,” Tabb said. “I live in the neighborhood and I know that drug abuse leads to crime; and, I think this measure will help keep more drugs off the streets.”

Part of that priority, he said, involves maintaining that safe, neighborhood atmosphere of his small business.

“As a pharmacist, I think people go to the doctor and come to the pharmacy to get better. They’re sick, they don’t feel well, and they come here to feel safe and to get their medication,” he said. “And, I think people would feel more safe if the place they go isn’t more likely to be robbed or held up.”

The SAFE DOSES Act recently passed through the House of Representatives and is currently awaiting Senate approval. Confident that the bill will pass by September, Brown said he hopes to have it put into effect by the beginning of next year.

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Sun Burn 1: Area courted solar energy with research

Like most relationships, it started slowly. The two began to get acquainted. There was the usual small talk and some occasional flirting.

In what seemed like record time, they decided they were made for one another. They shared so much in common — mutual interests, a willingness to make the necessary time commitment and hopes and dreams of a longtime future together.

Familiarity led to mutual respect and an intoxicating affection for success. Before they knew it, and without much planning, they were involved in a serious relationship. They couldn’t see anything beyond the here and now. They had nothing but good things to say to and about each another.

It was the best of times.

But then they hit the inevitable rough patch. They were unprepared for the jealousy that infiltrated the relationship as they began to listen to what others were saying about them. With that doubt came the beginning of bigger problems. They began to see, even focus on, each other’s flaws — a few slight exaggerations, unintentional broken promises and the aggravation of not quite living up to expectations.

Money became an issue. They had spent what they had without enough planning, and it became almost impossible to make minimum payments. The bill collectors started calling. And calling. And calling.

Rather than tackle the issues head on, they took the easy route. They never really talked about what was happening. Each would admit feeling a little let down, but there were no real hard feelings. They just accepted the inevitable. They just stopped seeing and calling one another. They split up.

It was the worst of times.

They both knew they would eventually have to deal with everything that had happened. They just weren’t quite ready.

This is the story of Greater Toledo and its courtship of, and investment in, the solar industry.

The Toledo region was committed to upholding its reputation of being a great place to live — well-paying manufacturing jobs, a safe, family-oriented community and comfortable city amenities.

And then the recession hit.

Economic uncertainty

Beginning in 2000, and peaking with the 2007 recession, an estimated 50,000 jobs, or 14 percent of all employment opportunities, were lost in the Greater Toledo area, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS).

The automotive industry was hit hardest. General Motors Co.’s Toledo Powertrain plant saw extensive job losses from 2000 to 2010 as 4,000 jobs became 1,600. Perrysburg’s Chrysler plant also lost about 2,500 jobs, from 5,000 workers in 2001 to half that many in 2010.

In the retail sector, ODJFS figures show that Toledo lost 9,500 jobs between 2000 and 2010. The state agency also estimates 3,100 Toledo jobs were lost in “general merchandise stores” in that same 10-year span.

No one industry was to blame; generally speaking, jobs were the victim of increased automation and greater productivity, which allowed employers to produce the same, or often more, product with fewer workers.

In stepped the solar energy industry.

Political support

Buoyed by groundbreaking research at the University of Toledo and funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Toledo saw a chance to rebound from its economic woes and become what Dan Johnson, UT president emeritus and a solar industry advocate, called “the solar capital of the nation.”

With financial and civic support — what cynics might call a romantic wooing of the solar industry — Toledo saw the emergence of no fewer than nine solar energy business ventures.

First Solar

In 1984, inventor and entrepreneur Harold McMaster founded Glasstech Solar to manufacture low-cost, thin film cells on a large scale. At the urging of a colleague, McMaster founded Solar Cells, Inc. in 1990. In February 1999, he sold Solar Cells, Inc. to True North Partners LLC., who renamed it First Solar.

Three years later, in 2002, First Solar launched production of commercial products. On June 3, 2003, First Solar broke ground on its Perrysburg facility and began production one year later.

The company went public in 2006, trading on the NASDAQ market.

On Nov. 17, 2006, the first day of its public offering of shares, First Solar reports its stock opened at $20 a share. By the end of that same day, a single share of stock had climbed to $28.30, a one-day increase of 41 percent on the initial investment.

Eleven months later, on Nov. 1, 2007, First Solar stock reached its peak: the initial $20 investment per share had become $237.15 a share. A stockholder’s modest investment of $1,000, the cost of 50 shares of stock, had become $11,857.50.

On Nov. 17, 2007, its first anniversary of going public, First Solar reported a market value of $15 billion.

Those kind of short-term returns are unparalleled, and some stockholders who had gotten in on the ground floor suddenly found themselves rich beyond their wildest dreams. Excitement in the company rose to a fever pitch.

No American business venture has been able to maintain an almost 1,200 percent annual growth rate for any length of time. First Solar was no exception. Stock prices began to fall, but shareholders, spurred by dreams of even greater wealth, continued to invest. Excitement in First Solar continued to grow.

In 2009, First Solar became the first solar panel manufacturing company globally to lower its manufacturing cost to $1 per watt. It has since been reduced to 73 cents per watt, and company officials predict the price will continue to fall.

Lower production prices took center stage because the less money First Solar had to spend producing solar panels, the less the firm would have to charge customers. Its lower prices eventually resulted in increased sales, higher company profit margins and healthy shareholder profit.

Additionally, by crossing the $1-per-watt threshold, First Solar made its energy competitive with power produced by conventional means. Consumers no longer had to spend any more for solar power than they spent for electricity.

Harold McMaster

At the end of 2009, First Solar also surpassed an annual production rate of one gigawatt. In doing so, it became the largest photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturer in the world before dropping in subsequent years.

Fast Company editors praised First Solar for focusing on “one overriding goal: driving down the cost of solar-power modules until they could compete with traditional power. It has used every strategy at its disposal, from newly patented technologies to overseas mass production to vertical integration at all levels of a project — all while managing to sidestep economic landmines and navigate the shifting policy landscape.”

First Solar also became the first renewable energy company in the past decade to be listed on the Standard & Poor’s 500, widely regarded as the best single gauge of the U.S. stock market. The S&P index includes the 500 leading companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy, capturing 75 percent coverage of all U.S. stocks.

A second solar company, Solar Fields LLC, followed in First Solar’s footsteps, establishing itself as a n industry leader in cutting-edge solar energy research.

Solar Fields began its life in October 2002 when Integrated Thin Films, the solar-energy project of McMaster and colleagues Frank Larimer and Norman Nitschke at UT’s Clean and Alternative Energy Business Incubator, underwent a name change. In 2002, UT was arguably the nation’s leading center for research on solar-energy technology.

Solar Fields faced its biggest challenge when its founder, McMaster, died Aug. 25, 2003, 10 months after the firm’s establishment.

In McMaster’s obituary, Michael Cicak, former president and COO of McMaster’s Glasstech Solar and current CEO of Willard & Kelsey Solar Group, acknowledged his mentor’s brilliance.

“There is no equal to Harold McMaster,” Cicak said. “When he speaks, you listen — then you analyze and learn from what he’s said.”

Solar Field ownership transferred to the firm’s investors and it was led by McMaster’s widow with guidance from Larimer and Nitschke. Helen McMaster ran the firm until it was sold to Q-Cells AG, a Germany company, in 2007.

At the time of the sale, Toledo media reported that Solar Fields’ patents, property and employees transferred to Calyxo USA Inc., a subsidiary of Q-Cells AG. Solar Fields’ investors received $5 million and 7 percent of stock in Calyxo USA Inc.

Norm Johnston

During its five years in Perrysburg, Solar Fields had nine employees whose primary focus was research.

In November 2007, Robert Collins, director of UT’s Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization (established in 2006), told Toledo media outlets that Solar Fields’ chief accomplishment was the development of machinery for the mass production of what was at that time a highly innovative style of solar panels that held promise of making energy from sunlight as cheap as that produced from fossil fuels.

Norm Johnston, Solar Fields’ CEO and inventor of the panel-coating technology used at Solar Fields, praised the sale, calling it “an excellent opportunity to be associated with one of the world’s most successful solar companies.”

Q-Cells AG, the parent company of Solar Fields’ new home, was First Solar’s chief competitor for leadership in the global market. Q-Cells AG had grown almost as rapidly as First Solar, increasing production by 42 percent in the first half of 2007. Its annual revenues were expected to reach $1.2 billion by year’s end.

Q-Cells AG was the world’s second-largest manufacturer of solar panels, although its primary expertise was in traditional technology. To gain the competitive advantage over rival First Solar, Q-Cells AG invested in a number of promising new “thin-film” manufacturing methods, specifically those used by First Solar’s fellow tenant in the UT business incubator.

Xunlight

2002 was a very productive year.

At the same time First Solar was launching production of commercial products and Solar Fields was morphing from Integrated Thin Films into Calyxo USA Inc., a pair of UT professors started looking for ways to commercialize their research in solar panels using thin-film photovoltaics.

Along with Harold McMaster and his Solar Fields’ team, UT physics professor Xunming Deng and UT visiting assistant professor Liwei Xu, conducted research at UT’s Clean and Alternative Energy Business Incubator. In the fall of 2002, Deng and Xu followed McMaster’s lead and co-founded their own company, Midwest Optoelectronics, LLC. Four years later, in 2006, the firm was reorganized, becoming Xunlight Corporation.

The commercial solar industry was attracting national attention at that time, and after First Solar’s first public offering of stock, Xunlight found itself in the lucrative position of riding First Solar’s coattails.

In its first eight months as Xunlight, the solar energy start-up raised $7 million in venture capital investment. By Sept. 29, 2007, Xunlight had collected another $3 million more in government funding, including a $1.9 million grant from the prestigious National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Toledo’s emergence in the industry of clean technology was becoming national news. The May 26, 2007, issue of The Economist highlighted Toledo as one of four regions in the U.S. that could emerge “as the Silicon Valley of clean technology,” citing Xunlight Corp. as an example of excellence.

Xunlight’s success was also documented in 2007 in articles appearing in Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal. Deng and Xu’s Xunlight had emerged from UT’s Clean and Alternative Energy Business Incubator as a model of how intellectual capital of university researchers could be turned into successful businesses and regional economic development.

Two months after Xunlight received the NIST grant, the Lucas County Board of Commissioners and County Treasurer Wade Kapszukiewicz announced that Lucas County was making a $2 million investment in Xunlight. Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop said the county took the gamble because “we have a chance to become the Silicon Valley of alternative energy, and Xunlight will be at the front of that charge.”

In a guest column in Toledo Free Press three days later, Karl Rundgren, managing editor and co-anchor of FOX Toledo News, sang Xunlight’s praises, saying “it’s hard not to get excited about Xunlight’s prospects,” he wrote, noting the promise of the firm “bringing in $200 million annually” and ”possibly employing 700 people.”

Xunming Deng

The money continued to flow.

On April 25, 2008, Xunlight announced that private investors would contribute $22.3 million to give Toledo its second alternative energy product manufacturer in the past year. Trident Capital became Xunlight’s third major investor, making a $22.3 million investment. In doing so, Trident Capital joined Emerald Technology Ventures and NGP Energy Technology Partners, which had invested $7 million of their own money.

On the same day Xunlight got the $22.3 million infusion of capital, co-founder Deng excited the Toledo business community with the announcement that he was partnering with Al Compaan, a retired UT physics professor and longtime Deng associate, to establish Xunlight 26 Solar.

Three months later, on July 18, Xunlight received a $4.9 million grant from the Ohio’s Third Frontier Commission because, with Xunlight Corp. and Xunlight 26, Deng, Xu and associates were promoting high-tech jobs and business ventures. According to a Third Frontier spokesman, the money was earmarked to aid Xunlight in manufacturing.

Not to be outdone, one month later, on Aug. 29, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority guaranteed $1 million of a $7 million loan to assist Xunlight in the purchase and installation of a solar-panel production line at its Nebraska Avenue facility. The Port Authority also discussed possibly buying stake in the solar-panel firm.

The Port Authority board had enough confidence in Xunlight’s potential to vote unanimously to lend Xunlight the money from its Northwest Ohio Bond Fund. In doing so, Paul Toth, the Port Authority’s interim president, said the Port Authority was willing to take on part of the financial risk and accept stock warrants that would allow the organization to buy up to $100,000 of Xunlight stock at a fixed per-share price. Should Xunlight default on the $7 million loan, the Port Authority, along with Lucas County and a number of private banks, would have first claim to solar-cell production equipment, software and other intellectual property required to operate the solar panel plant.

Willard & Kelsey Solar Group

Another group of investors, four of who had worked with Harold McMaster in the 1980s to establish the pioneering firms of Glasstech and Solar Cells, joined forces in 2008 to create Willard & Kelsey Solar Group LLC. They intended the company to build upon McMaster’s solar energy developments while moving current technology to a higher level.

Led by solar industry veterans James Appold, Michael Cicak, James Heider and Gary Faykosh, the Willard & Kelsey executive team raised $105 million in investment capital to get the company up and running. Planned expenditures included $7 million to buy the factory, $7.3 million for renovations and $89 million for machinery.

On July 30, 2008, Toledo media reported that Ohio officials approved tax credits for Willard & Kelsey, whose founders had filed documents with the state detailing plans to develop a Perrysburg plant with 400 employees making low-cost solar energy panels.

At that time, Willard & Kelsey indicated it intended to redevelop Delafoil Ohio Inc., an out-of-business electronics component manufacturing plant on Progress Drive, off state route 25 in Perrysburg.

The Ohio Tax Credit Authority agreed to provide Willard & Kelsey credit against state income taxes worth 60 percent of the Ohio payroll taxes withheld from its employees. The job creation tax credit was approved to last 10 years.

Mohammad Smidi, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official in Bowling Green, said a company executive told him earlier that month that Willard & Kelsey planned to begin operations as early as August 2008.

An EPA permit issued April 24 indicated the firm planned to make solar panels using a low-cost thin-film technology similar to that used at First Solar. That same EPA permit gave the firm permission to run a 24-hour-a-day operation producing 240 panels an hour at the Perrysburg factory.

Company executives also told Perrysburg officials they intended to seek a 10-year, $177,000 job-creation grant as well as assistance with road and traffic improvements.

The tax credits, approved July 28, 2008, were scheduled to begin in January 2009 and stretch through December 2018. A company executive told Ohio that Willard & Kelsey intended to create 400 full-time jobs by August 2011, with employees earning an average wage of $21.25 an hour.

Hopes ran high among Toledo political and business leaders. If Willard & Kelsey successfully executed its plan — and every indication was that its executive team’s extensive experience and presumed expertise almost guaranteed success — Perrysburg was destined to become the global center of the quickly expanding solar energy industry.

Isofoton North America

The most recent addition to the Greater Toledo solar energy industry is Isofoton North America, a Spanish solar energy company that chose Napoleon as the location for its North American manufacturing facility, initially scheduled to open in December 2011. Toledo-area political and business leaders responded with enthusiasm because Isofoton’s initial estimates were that the plant could generate as many as 330 jobs.

Toledo Free Press reported a year ago this month that the Ohio Department of Development (DOD) announced that it would provide $15.8 million of assistance to match the European manufacturer’s pledge to invest $16.4 million in Northwest Ohio.

The $15,893,057 in state funds included $7.08 million from the Ohio Enterprise Bond Fund, $5 million from the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority, $3 million in a 166 Direct Loan, $488,057 in an Ohio Job Creation Tax Credit, $250,000 from an Economic Development Grant and $75,000 from the Ohio Workforce Investment Program, according to James Leftwich, director of the Ohio DOD.

The Napoleon factory was initially slated to begin operation with 121 clean-energy manufacturing jobs and build up to 330 direct jobs by 2012, according to Angel Luis Serrano, CEO of Isofoton’s headquarters in Spain.

The DOD also projected another 1,000 indirect jobs being created by the Isofoton project in 2012.

“We are pleased that Isofoton looks forward to working closely with regional economic development partners and with the University’s multiple research and worker training fronts,” Jacobs stated in a news release.

Paul Zito, vice president of international development at the Regional Growth Partnership, echoed Jacobs. He used Isofoton’s decision to locate in Napoleon to make his point. He reported that Isofoton’s executives praised Northwest Ohio’s skilled labor force, work ethic, research and development programs at UT, supplier base and spirit of collaboration as their reasons for choosing this region.

Next week in Part II: How the solar industry, with its unlimited growth potential, began to struggle; a look at the circumstances that led Toledo-area solar energy corporations to restructure their organizations, change leadership, redirect missions and enter new markets.

Pounds: Solar energy in NW Ohio: Rising sun or setting sun?

Just as automotive manufacturing was slowing down, causing economic distress locally, a bright light of hope appeared on Toledo’s horizon: solar energy. It seemed Northwest Ohio, ever-enterprising in spirit, had discovered an exciting new opportunity. The University of Toledo led the way with research and many of the area’s proud manufacturing businesses adapted to the emerging solar industry.

Dan Johnson, former University of Toledo president and a solar industry advocate, wrote in these pages that Toledo could be “the solar capital of the nation.”

A who’s who of civic leaders and entrepreneurs backed the movement and it truly looked like Northwest Ohio could lead the world in this emerging technology.

The resurgent auto industry is making more positive headlines in our region than solar is. Plagued by a sluggish economy, layoffs, outsourcing, plunging values and scandals, the local solar energy industry finds itself losing luster.

Are these temporary growing pains or has this potential source of jobs and growth already seen its brightest days?

Toledo Free Press Editor in Chief Michael S. Miller and Staff Writer John P. McCartney have collaborated to plan the largest research and journalism project in Toledo Free Press’ nearly eight-year history. The four-part series, “Sun Burn,” will take an in-depth look at solar’s past, present and future in Northwest Ohio. It is an ambitious blend of research, reporting and analysis, seeking to answer the question, “What role does solar energy play in our future?”

It’s a simple question with an undoubtedly complicated answer. The story begins with Harold McMaster’s mid-1980s work and will travel through the University of Toledo, the Third Frontier Project, state and federal money, First Solar, Xunlight, Solar Fields, Willard & Kelsey, Isofoton and nearly 100 sources, from elected officials to workers assembling solar panels.

The story was carefully outlined, but the ultimate answer to the thesis question was not known when the research started: Has the sun set on solar energy in Northwest Ohio, or is this a temporary retrenching?

Follow this compelling series and you will have access to enough information to make a qualified judgment of your own.

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.